African-American author and radio personality Tavis Smiley has been a driving force behind a number of "town-hall meeting" discussions brought to the airwaves by C-SPAN.
Smiley's well-organized, big name panel discussions have covered everything from the role of churches in the black community to the overall state of black America.
Now locals will get a chance to talk about the state of black Tampa. In a community forum Saturday at the TECO Atrium, 702 N Franklin St., state Sen. Les Miller, state Rep. Arthenia Joyner and Hillsborough County NAACP branch president Sam Horton will welcome local opinion leaders to discuss where we've been, where we are and where we're headed.
The public is invited and folks will be given a chance to ask questions.
"A lot of people sit back and say the black community is no good," Miller said Tuesday. "They say it's drug infested with kids just standing on the corner. I don't think that's all true. We have some problems, but we have to come together to continue to help our community grow and prosper."
The morning session will be from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with discussions about black youth and the Tampa community. Miller said the session will focus as much on youths who are doing great things as those who have "stepped off the path."
The afternoon session, from 1 to 3:30 p.m., is titled "The state of Black Tampa - Past, Present and Future."
"We can't know about our future unless we know about our past," Miller said.
University of South Florida professor Sam Wright and WMNF-88.5 radio host Otis Anthony will be moderators. There is always a chance the public question-and-answer sessions could be sidetracked into grandstanding showcases, but if Wright and Anthony keep people on point and focused, the discussion could be valuable.
Miller said he hopes the forum will spark solutions for problems affecting the community. I have to applaud Miller, Joyner and Horton for opening the dialogue, and I can only hope talk turns into unified action.
What is the state of black Tampa? I don't have a complete answer, but I'm glad somebody is asking.
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As I made my way to the Child Abuse Council Champions For Children breakfast Tuesday, I was greeted by child-size puppets known as the Kids On The Block. The puppets look funny, but some of the responses they elicit from kids are far from humorous.
The puppets, intended to put kids at ease, help them define child abuse and tell them how to get help.
One third-grader wrote about his own experience after seeing one of the Kids On The Block plays: "When I was 4, someone touched me in places I didn't like and it went on for months. I decided to tell my mom about it when I saw your play. I think you did real good."
Nearly 700 people attended the breakfast at the Raymond James Stadium club lounge, a staggering number when you consider the early hour and that people readily turn away from child abuse discussions. Even the keynote speaker, Bucs general manager Rich McKay, conceded it's difficult not to click away when the local news report begins detailing yet another tale of abuse.
No number is quite so staggering as 15,500. That's how many cases of abuse and neglect are reported in a single year in this county. Breakfast co-chair Leslie Jennewein made a heartfelt plea, noting that our county is fourth in the state in reported cases of abuse and neglect.
And that number doesn't take into consideration the cases that go unreported.
Here's another number: 673-4646. That's where to call to get more information about the Child Abuse Council in Tampa.
